Just watched Once Upon a Time in Hollywood - how very disappointing. Di Caprio (the best movie actor of his generation) and Pitt are both very good, but the film is rambling, incoherent and way too long. My son was watching with us and admitted afterwards that if I hadn't pointed out the Manson character, he wouldn't necessarily have connected the story to the murders. The worst thing, though, was the music. Such wonderful music produced in 1969, but this featured some of the most bland American pap. Tarantino is a self-indulgent prick.
I can’t stand Tarantino, though that is slightly misleading as I haven’t watched a minute of his films since the beginning of Kill Bill, some time in the 90s I think. He might have improved from what seemed to me to be poor remakes of exploitation movies with a certain obsession with sadistic violence, including violence against women.
I couldn’t work out how it received so much praise - I too thought it was extremely disappointing. Hype over quality.
Up until I read this, I thought I liked Tarantino films. I now realise that I don't. I thought 'Reservoir Dogs' was a horrible film. And then Pulp Fiction, which I thought at the time was ok, but haven't watched it since. It's upon reflection, another horrible film. Jackie Brown - I can't remember much about it. If it was drugs based then I switched off. Kill Bill - Dismissed it pretty quickly and the subsequent sequels. Never even watched them. Death Proof - Never entertained it. Inglorious Basterds - I remember watching this at the fire station, thought it was ok, but a rather bizarre ending. Django Unchained - I also remember watching this while on-duty at the fire station, on nights when it was usually quiet. I thought that this film was ok actually. Is this the one where Christoph Waltz get's shot? The Hateful Eight, I haven't bothered with. Same with Once Upon A Time In Hollywood. I thought Tarantino had something to do with True Romance? From my recollection, I quite liked that film. Having said all of that, I think he did try and change the energy and perspective to film making. It did feel like the antipathy of 'Four Weddings, Petty Woman and Notting Hill that was around at the time etc. In what way do you suggest that he had an obsession with violence against women? I didn't pick up on that. Off to bed now, so will respond tomorrow. Nighty night, me old mate.
I'd say no, as would Bruce. Mark Kermode says otherwise.... BBC Four - Mark Kermode's Secrets of Cinema, Mark Kermode's Christmas Cinema Secrets
I’ve never understood why ‘Die Hard’ is a Xmas flick but the first ‘Lethal Weapon’ isn’t. That movie opened with ‘Jingle Bell Rock’ and has a shootout amongst some Xmas trees... plus an actor that likes to persecute Jews.
That's a good observation Ubes. I'm going to say that both films aren't Christmas films then in the true sense.
I haven’t written a thesis on it mate. I just got the impression that women got the rough end of some scenes, either through violence or drugs - Uma Thurman getting her heart injected in Pulp Fiction, Bridget Fonda dying I think in Jackie Brown, just about all of the limited amount of Kill Bill I watched. Were there not scenes of torture in the first two or three films? Or extended scenes of very one sided violence. Anyway, he might have changed his approach, I haven’t bothered with him for over 20 years, and his stupid film titles - Inglorious Basterds? The Hateful Eight? - haven’t drawn me back. Anything with Once Upon a Time in..... as the title better be a masterpiece because it’s up against Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in the West and Once Upon a Time in America which are proper great films. Unlike Robert Rodriguez’ Once Upon a Time in Mexico, which was cartoon pants. I think he’s a mate of Tarantino.
This is so obvious I’m appalled no one has referred to it, the ultimate feelgood family friendly Christmas movie